Aerial apparatus.



EMANNING.

AERIAL APPARATUS.

APPLICATION man Nov.2o. 1916.

1,283,248.. Patented Oct. 29, 1918.

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F. MANNING- AERIAL APPARATUS.

APPLICATION men NOV. 20. I916.

FRED MANNING, 0F SUIFERIOR, COLORADO.

AERIAL APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Got. 29, 1918.

Application filed November 20, 1916. Serial No. 132,439.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED MANNING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Superior, in the county of Boulder and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Aerial Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to aerial apparatus,

and more particularly to an improvedimpeller or propelling mechanism for aeroplanes or other aerial machines. It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved impeller involving a rotary frame adapted to be mounted for rotation about an axis disposed in any suitable angle and involves sets of feathering blades which are so mounted as to swing to a locked position in moving in one direction, and automatically swing to a relatively non-resisting position in moving to another direction or part of the cycle of rotation of the impeller.

It is an object of the present invention to improve the construction of impellers whereby a large area of lifting or impelhng surface may be presented to the air for propulsive or lifting effect.

In the accompanying specification and drawings there is described and illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the improved impeller shown as mounted in a pair 0f bearings adapted to be mounted upona suitable supporting framework ofthe aerlal vehlcle to which the apparatus may be applied.

Fig; 2 is a diagrammatic partially sectional view in side elevation of the impeller.

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of the mounting of one end of the main drive shaft of the impeller, and

Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view showing the mounting of one of the rotary frame axles in its respective arm or beam.

In the illustrated form of the invention there is shown in Fig. 1 a pair of journal boxes 2 2 which are adapted to be secured to a suitable portion of the framework'of an aeroplane or other aerial apparatus upon which the present impeller is adapted to be mounted, the framework being omitted as it forms no essential feature of the details of the present invention. Mounted in the bear ings 2 is a transverse driving shaft 3 carrymg at one end a fixed pinion 4 which is adapted to be driven by a meshing gear 5 which it is understood will be operated by force derived from any suitable source in the apparatus uponwhich the impeller may be mounted.

Rigidly secured upon each side of the axle 3 and ust within the bearings 2 there is arranged in parallel relation a pair of arms or beams 6-6 substantially of equal length and having hubs 7 at each of their outer ends in which is mounted a transverse axle 8. Secured in alinement along one side of one of the arms 6, and fastened on the respective ends of the axles 8, are provided fixed gears 9 of substantially equal diameter, these being connected in train from one end of the lever or beam 6 to the other by a series of idler gears 10 mounted loosely for rotation upon suitable studs or hearing members 11 projecting from the side of the beam 6, the center gear 12 of this train being fixedly secured upon the adjacent sleeve or other contiguous fixed part of a bearing 2 so that when the main shaft 3 is rotated, and thus swings the parallel arms or beams 6 about the axis of the shaft 3 and of the fixed or master gear 12, the remaining idler gears 10 in the train rotate at uniform speeds about their own axis and about the center or master gear 12 thereby rotating the axles 8 transversely mounted in the ends of the beams 6. In this manner suitably constructed frames 15, which are fastened 0n the axles 8 and extend from side to side of the beams 6, are caused to rotate and are maintained in constant angular relation to each other, while the rotary beams or carriers 66 are driven.

To accomplish a lifting or driving effect each of the frames 15 is provided with a series of substantially parallel pivotally suspended blades or feathering wings 16 which maybe of suitable length and have pintles or pivots 17 suitably disposed in their end edges, as at Fig. 2, and mounted in the side members of the frame 15. Preferably the axis of the pivots 17 of each of the pivoting wings or'blades 16 is disposed eccentrically of the medial line of the respective wing or blade so that the latter has a normal tendency to hang freely suspended upon its bearings as indicated at the right hand side of Fig. 2.

While the feathering wings or blades 16 may extend entirely from side to side of its frame 16, in the present illustration the frame 15 is divided centrally by a central bar 15 and two sets of leaves or blades 16 are provided in each frame 15. To secure the proper lifting or impelling effect from the blades 16 while they are rotated by means of the driving shaft 3 the blades are adapted to swing into a substantially com- Inon plane to form a large resistance surface, and the lower or pendant edges of these blades are prevented from swinging past the plane of the axis by any suitable abutment or stopping means so that they are maintained in the position shown in the lower frame 15, Fig. 2.

From the foregoing description it will be seen by referring to Fig. 2 that the impeller, including the shaft 3 with its parallel arms or beams 6 secured thereon and provided with the frames 15 one at each end of the pair of arms, is rotated when power is imparted to the shaft 3 and the frames 15 relatively connected through their respective driving pinions 9-9 by the train of idlers 10 and the fixed master gear 12, and that during the rotation of the frames 15 one of the frames which is moving downwardly, when the shaft 3 is disposed horizontally, will have a resistive effect upon the air and the blades 16 swung upwardly about their pivots 17 into a substantially parallel position and form a large and substantially continuous lifting or impelling area which when moving downwardly against the supporting fluid will have a reactive or lifting effect upon the apparatus upon which the impeller may be mounted.

By means of the train of gears 10 the relative position of the frames 15 one to the other is maintained constant, or as is here illustrated, in parallel and horizontal relation, although it is understood that in. pro viding an aerial apparatus with a set of these impellers they would be used in suitable numbers and the frames 15 of the dif ferent impellers so angularly disposed that a portion of them would be lifting while others could be driving the apparatus forwardly, and any suitable means might be incorporated to change the relative angularity of the frames 15 to the apparatus to ac complish the desired direction of propulsion. During that cycle of rotation of one of the frames 15 about the axis of the shaft 3 in which the blades 16 would be moving upwardly it is manifest that they would swing to a vertical or pendant position and that the air would pass downwardly freely through the opened blades as indicated by the arrows A, Fig. 2, while any of the blades on a frame 15 moving downwardly would be closed by the resistance of the air below as indicated by the arrows B, Fig. 2. In this way one side of the impeller moving upwardlywould be substantially free from any back resistance to the air, while the maximum lifting effect would be obtained from the large area of the closed blades moving downwardly through their cycle during the rotation of the frames.

1 have found that the lifting efficiency of the impeller unit is greatly increased by providing means for preventing the air below or in front of the blades on their driving stroke from deflecting or readily flowing laterally or toward the edges of the area formed by the closed blades. In this embodimentof the invention a guard or wall 20 of suitable depth depends from and extends along the sides of the carrying frame 15. W hen the blades close under air pressure the air is caught within the box-like frame structure and forms a more effectual resist ance and increases the reactive effect on the imp eller. I y

The axis of the pivot 17 of a. blade 16 is clearly shown as being eccentric to the transverse center of the blade and between the longitudinal edges thereof, or in other words, the blades are pivoted on eccentric axes and when they swing to closed position as shown in Fig. 2, the several blades lie in a substantially common plane and are limited at their longer portions beyond the pivot against undue upward movement by suitable stops in the form of pins 16 mounted in the members of the frame 20.

What I claim as new is 1. In an aerial apparatus,a driven shaft and its bearings, a pair of parallel levers fixed on and projecting equidistantly in spaced relation from said shaft, a master gear fixed on one of said bearings, a train of intermediate gears mounted .along one of said arms, axles transversely mounted between the ends of the arms, pinions fixed on said axle and driven by said intermediate gears, all of which are in a diametral line through the shaft axis, quadrangular, flanged frames fixed to said axles and whose transverse edges closely approach the shaft during rotation of the frames, each axle passing through the transverse diameter of its frame and parallel feathering blades freely pivoted on said frames, said blades pivoted on axes eccentric to their transverse center and between their longitudinal edges, the axis of the pivots of the blades and the axle of their frame all lying in a common plane and par allel so that turning moment of the group of blades on either side is neutralized.

2. An impeller for aerial apparatus, comprising a quadrangular plane frame, having a marginal perpendicular skirt or flange, a series of parallel feathering blades pivoted within the frame, the pivots of each frame being eccentric to the transverse center and between the blade side edges, the blades adapted to swing in a uniform direction on their pivots into a common plane, stops on the frame for limiting the movement of the blades and a carrying axle passing through the transverse diameter of the frame, the axis of the pivots of, the blades and the axle of their frame all lying in a common plane and parallel so that turning moment of the group of blades on either side is neutralized.

3. An impeller for aerial apparatus, comprising a rectangular plane frame having a cliametral dividing bar and a perpendicular flange, a series of parallel feathering blades pivoted within and between the bar and the frame, the pivots of each frame being eccentric to the transverse center and between the blade side edges, the blades adapted to swing uniformly into a common plane, stops on the frame for limiting the movement of the blades to a position with their side edges opposite each other in said plane, and means by which said frame is carried in a horizontal position through the circular orbit and including an axle passing through a transverse diameter of the frame.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

FRED MANNING.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

